Bowlin throws no-hitter, strikes out 21
ROGERS — Pea Ridge pitcher Emery Bowlin was oh-so-close to perfection, but the junior settled for the no-hitter in a 5-0 win against Harrison in the Bruce Dean Invitational at the Railyard high school softball tournament on Friday afternoon.
Bowlin hit the first batter in the top of the first inning, but then struck out 21 in a row.
Pea Ridge Coach Josh Reynolds said Bowlin more than did her job.
“Emery did a good job in the circle, being around the zone,” Reynolds said. “Emery was able to make the pitches when needed. Traditionally that town is good. They are good. You’ve got to show up and be able to compete, first pitch, last pitch.
Bowlin, a junior, said it was not her first no-hitter but she wasn’t sure how many she’s pitched. Bowlin said no one talked to her in the dugout during the game.
“It’s a thing in our dugout, we don’t talk about it (no-hitter),” Bowlin said. “They all know. I was just trying to help my team as much as possible.”
Pea Ridge got all the runs Bowlin would need in the top of the first as lead-off hitter Lexi Vigil, who went 3 for 4, reached on a bunt single and later scored on Callie Cooper’s groundout for the 1-0 lead. Bowlin also drove in a run in the third with a groundout. Makenzie Whalen went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and drove in two runs.
Rogers 10, Harrison 0
Pitcher Daylyn Osborne allowed only a pair of infield singles and stuck out 13 to lead Rogers to a victory over Harrison in six innings.
Talyn Jackson, Mak Fithian and Dahana Tuomala drove in two runs each for Rogers. Tuomala and Jackson had two hits each.
Rogers Coach Tori Stafford said her group is playing good softball, getting contributions up and down the lineup. They helped each other on and off the field.
“We are performing really well as a whole and having each others backs and being good teammates and we continue to do that day in and day out,” Stafford said. “We still practice the same every single day. We are going to play like Rogers softball plays every day no matter who shows up in the other dugout.”
The Lady Mounties scored four runs in the fourth. Wagner and Osborne each walked, then stole second and third. Both runners scored on a wild pitch and a throwing error on the same play to lead 4-0. Jackson added a tworun single to make it 6-0.
Rogers pushed across a run in the top of the first without a hit as Khyleigh Kelley reached on a one-out walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a throw back to first. Harrison threatened with runners at first and third with one out, but Osborne notched back-to-back strikeouts to get out of the inning unscathed.
Tuomala added to the Rogers lead with a solo home run in the third for a 2-0 advantage.
Rogers Heritage 5, Houston Christian 1
The Lady War Eagles snapped a 1-1 tie in the fifth en route to the win.
Joclyn Strickland picked up the win for Heritage (13-7). She allowed a run on three hits over seven innings, while striking out two and walking one.
Joclyn Strickland, Kyler Strickland and Bella Canizales finished with two hits each for Heritage.
Pea Ridge 2, Rogers 0
The Lady Blackhawks (16-4) broke a scoreless tie in the top of the seventh and went on to notch the hard-fought win in Friday’s late game.
Pea Ridge scored two runs thanks to a run-scoring double by Emery Bowlin and a RBI-triple by Makenzie Whalen to grab the 2-0 lead.
Bowlin retired Rogers (19-2) 1-23 in the bottom of the seventh to close out the win. The loss ended the Lady Mounties’ 17-game winning streak.